PACE: Prepare Achieve Celebrate Evolve.
Yesterday I defined what I mean by "PACE". The most important piece is "Prepare". Preparation IS everything. Marathon training just like life involves two simple components: physical and emotional. Both are important but I hold the belief our emotional health is what can make or break us.
1. Physical preparation is all about making sure we can withstand the elements. In the marathon this ranges from heat to bitter cold, a scorching sun or torrential downpour. Well in advance of race day, I practice in the clothes I will wear, music I will play, and the nutrition I will consume on course. Physical preparation is also about conditioning the body to run further and further so it recovers over and over. Going 26.2 hurts. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. But isn't that what physical hard work is all about? Pain is just weakness leaving the body!
2. Emotional (mental) preparation is critical. When you tell yourself you can do it, you can. When you tell yourself you can't, you probably won't. The power of positive thinking and our ability to flex our "adaptability" muscle is what truly defines our race. Emotional preparedness is what separates the finishers from the quitters. Plain and simple, when we prepare, we make things happen!
Last night I packed my bags for Berlin. I fly via New York later this morning. How sweet it will be to get a glimpse of the Big Apple, where I ran my last race, before we head off to Germany. My last marathon is just one in the many that prepared me for this one. And my last 2 attempts at Berlin were steps in the process to prepare me for next Sunday.
Everything we do is an opportunity to prepare, to work hard and to learn ...
How has planning and preparation helped you succeed? How is it helping you pace?
